End clip



Dec. 23, 1941. w. H. CHURCHILL END CLIP Filed July 20, 1946 Patented Dec. 23, 1941 END CLIP Wilmer H. Churchill, Saugus, Mass., assignor to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 20, 1940, Serial No. 346,613

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in end clips and is directed particularly to a clip secured to one end of a strip of fabric such as a belt and adapted to be threaded through a cooperating buckle on an opposite end.

The chief object of my invention is the provision of an improved end clip bent into substantially U-shaped form so as to provide wings clamped into engagement with opposite sides of the strip with the free ends of the wings turned inwardly to engage the edges of the ends of the strip.

End clips, heretofore used commercially, have their wing portions in spaced substantially parallel relation before attachment of the clip to end of the strip. It has been found with thiponstruction that when the wings are cla ped into engagement with the sides of the Still), the free ends of the wings tend to lift slightly from the strip with the result that they are easly caught on the buckle when the strip end having the end clip is disengaged therefrom. This occurrence tends to pry the wings apart with consequent loosening of the end clip.

As a result of the construction of the present invention, no loosening of the clip can take place as the free ends of the wings are held permanently in close engagement with the material of the strip so as to compress the material thereof. Thus the clip presents no protruding edges which might catch with a cooperating fastener part such as a buckle and a more secure end clip is effected.

Other objects and uses of my invention will be apparent from inspection of the drawing and specification hereinbelow set forth.

Referring to the drawing, in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a strip such as a belt having one of my improved end clips secured thereto;

Fig. 2 is a plan elevation of my improved end clip per se;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of my improved end clip per se;

Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line 4--4 of Fig. =1; and i Fig. 5 'is a section taken along the line 5-5 of Fi 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, I have shown in Fig. 1 a strip or strap of material I having a metal end clip 2 secured to one of its free ends 3. The object of the clip 2 is to prevent the end of the strip from fraying and to stiffen the end to enable it to be threaded more readily through a cooperating buckle (not shown). The clip 2 is preferably of metal and formed by bending a piece of sheet metal into substantially V-shape to provide a pair of spaced opposed wings 4 and 5. Each of the wings 4 and 5 has a line of spaced projections 6 extending inwardly. The projections are preferably formed by punching the metal of the wings to provide sharp substantially cone-shaped burrs. The projections of each of the lines are in staggered relation and the projections tightly grip the strip I when the wings 4 and 5 are pinched together to secure the clip to the strip and maintain the clip against lateral and longitudinal movement relative to the strip. As a means of insuring close permanent engagement of the free ends of the wings 4 and 5 with opposed sides of the strip 1, portions 1 of the wings 4 and 5 adjacent the free edges 8 thereof are bent to converge from the respective lines of projections 6 toward their free edges 8, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3. Thus stiffening ridges 9 are formed and serve to stiffen the clip against transverse deformation in regions between the spaced lines of gripping contact as defined by the rows of burrs 6 and the opposed outer edges 8 so that when the clip is passed over the end 3 of the strip and the wings 4 and 5 are clamped together to engage the projections 6 with the strip, the portions 1 maintain, at least to some extent, their converging relationship, as shown in Fig. 4. As a result the free narrow edges 8 of the wings 4 and 5 engage and compress slightly the material of the strip so that the outer surfaces of the wings 4 and 5 merge gradually into the planes of the sides of the strip I thereby eliminating any abrupt edge at the free ends of the wings which could accidentally engage with a cooperating buckle to force the wings apart.

Thus by my invention I have provided an end clip of simple and inexpensive construction capable of eflicient use for the purposes described. Also, the balanced shape provided by the end clip enables it to be fed satisfactorily through an automatic attaching machine.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of my invention is best defined by the following claim.

I claim:

An end clip for attachment to a strip of material comprising a metal plate of normal V- shaped form having a pair of divergent wings cent to but between said reinforcing ridge and 10 bight portion, said w ngs being adapted to be bent to substantial parallelism over an end of said strip with said projections and strip-c1amping portions gripping said strip along spaced lines of gripping contact, said opposed angular ridges reinforcing said clip against transverse deformation throughout the length of the space between said spaced lines of gripping contact.

WILMER H. CHURCHILL. 

